Government plans new waste policy

Every home will have weekly food waste collections and packaging will be more clearly labelled to show if it can go in household recycling bins under plans set out by the Government.

The new waste and resources strategy comes after the latest figures for England revealed household recycling rates have all but flat-lined in recent years, and amid widespread concern over waste such as single-use plastics.

The strategy will make it easier for people to know what they can recycle wherever they live, with more consistent schemes from council to council.

Producers will pay the full net costs of disposing or recycling their packaging, up from a contribution of just 10% currently, and money will go to councils to help them improve waste and recycling systems.

With the industry having to pay higher fees if their products are harder to reuse or recycle, it is hoped the move will encourage more sustainable design.

And it will raise between £500million and £1billion a year for recycling and disposing of rubbish, the Environment Department (Defra) said.

Manufacturers could also have to pay for dealing with waste textiles, vehicle tyres and mattresses, in the same way they currently do for items such as batteries and electrical goods.

The Government will introduce a consistent set of recyclable materials – for example card, tins and types of plastic – which all councils will be expected to pick up from homes and businesses.

Consistent labelling will be developed on packaging so consumers know if they can put it in the recycling bin, which could be a simple as a “green dot” on items that indicates they can be recycled.

And it will include a weekly collection of food waste from every household, as well as a potential return to free garden waste collections.

Cutting food and greenery from black bin waste will help meet targets to ensure zero food waste is going to landfill.

The plans are all subject to consultation in the new year.

Coun Linda Green, chair of the Joint Executive Committee of the South Tyne and Wear Waste Management Partnership, said: “The Government’s resources and waste strategy contains some eye-catching proposals and it will be interesting to see how these develop.”